Abundant rains last month lead to shallow corn roots

Cutting seed wheat, baling straw and cutting tassels have
been the main focus over the last week. The rains have quit after receiving one
inch last week. We have had 10.05 inches over the last 30 days. The ponded
fields have started to dry out, but the worst spots may not recover. The warmer
temps and sunshine have put some color back into the soybeans. The beans could
actually use a little stress right now to shorten the nodes on the plant for
more podding.

We have been building an addition to our seed plant this
summer. The foundation is complete, but we are still pouring the flat concrete.
The steel framework is being assembled this week, as well. We are excited to
expand our seed plant because it will allow us to be able to blend seed corn for
Refuge-in-Bag products. This expansion is vital to the growth of Wyckoff Hybrids
Inc. We want to keep the family-run seed company around for the next
generation.

The big question now is: When do we start irrigators? Since
we have had so much June rainfall, the roots on this corn crop are shallow.
Letting corn stress right before tasseling is not ideal. Hopefully, timely rains
keep coming. The best time spent right now is scouting your crops for weeds,
bugs and diseases. If you can, get yourself a copy of Purdue’s Corn &
Soybean Field Guide. It’s a great scouting tool.